BJP Punjab to set up state party office in Jalandhar: Sampla

BJP Punjab party office to come up at JIT land in Jalandhar for which a proposal wa underway. It would be constructed, where the party had earlier planned to set up BJP district party office

Jalandhar: In a move aimed at bringing BJP Punjab leadership to centre stage in ‘Dalit heartland’ of Doaba region, the BJP Punjab President and Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla has decided to set up its state party office in Jalandhar.

Sampla who hails from Sofi Pind in Jalandhar Cantt and was currently the Hoshiarpur MP decided to construct the BJP State Headquarter in Jalandhar at the local Surya Enclave locality.

The land for constructing BJP Punjab party office was given by Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) in the year 2013. “We are elated over this decision. The BJP Punjab President Vijay Sampla has made a good move by and the long pending demand of the party workers to have its own office would be fulfilled”, said a BJP leader.

Interestingly, the move comes at a time, when the BJP leadership at the centre was trying to project a ‘pro-dalit’ image of its party. Sources maintained that even Sampla’s elevation to BJP Punjab President post was also done in the same league.

Talking to Daily Post, Vijay Sampla said, “As of now this proposal was under consideration and soon we would decide on the construction of the office. Infact, we wanted to construct BJP state office in Punjab a state of the art office would be constructed at the same site in the city.”

Notably, the then BJP Punjab President Kamal Sharma had laid the foundation stone of the BJP Jalandhar district office on October 16, 2013. Kamal Sharma had then announced that the party leaders would donate funds for the construction of the office but none came forward. “In the absence of any party office, we were forced to hold all party meetings and functions at Circuit House in Jalandhar. We hope that now the BJP state party office would be constructed well on time, giving us space to hold party functions”, he added.

Earlier, the BJP District Unit faced a trouble, when objections were raised over its functioning from the local Sheetla Mata Mandir premises.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had directed the BJP to vacate the temple premises on the guidelines that no political party could hold function from inside religious place. Interestingly, despite the ECI directives, even now, the BJP was functioning from Sheetla Mata Mandir premises.